Appointments Available. Call (07) 3339 5102
Greater Brisbane Based
Paediatric Occupational Therapy Services
Our paediatric occupational therapy services support children of all ages to grow, thrive, and meet their goals — through play, confidence-building, and practical skills for everyday life. We service clients located in the Greater Brisbane, Ipswich, and Gold Coast regions.
Helping Little Hands do Big Things
At MLEA Occupational Therapy, we provide warm, child-centred occupational therapy for children as young as 15 months through to school-aged children and teens. Every child is unique — so we tailor every session to their developmental stage, attention span, and personal goals.
Why Choose Us
Dual Expertise
MLEA offers both medicolegal and paediatric OT services. This means we bring a depth of assessment, reporting, and goal-planning knowledge that’s unmatched in most paeds clinics.
Holistic, Collaborative Approach
We work closely with families, educators, and healthcare professionals to build a supportive team around your child.
Play-Based, Strengths-Focused
Therapy is designed around what your child enjoys, helping them build skills in fun, motivating ways.
We Make It Easy
We support families every step of the way — whether you’re navigating NDIS, Medicare, or private referrals.
Flexible Delivery
Whether at home, school or online, we work where your child is most comfortable.
Continued Support
We’re here for the long haul — offering consistent communication, regular progress reviews, and support whenever you need it, not just during sessions.
We Support Children with
Frequently Asked Questions
What services do you provide in paediatric OT?
OT sessions can include fine motor development, gross motor skills, sensory processing support, self-care skills, social skills, emotional regulation. Cognitive skills, and play skills.
Do you work with NDIS participants?
We predominately work with NDIS participants but welcome private referrals, NDIS access referrals and medicare referrals.
Can you see my child at school / kindy / daycare?
Yes, we loving completing capacity building in all environments. We will gain access to complete sessions in all environments, however this depends on clearance from educational settings. Due to confidentiality some schools don’t allow for external therapists (US) to complete sessions in their environment (School). However, if this is the case, OT will work closely with you for after school appointments.
How long does a session go for?
Session timings are individualised and tailored to each individual. We all know that everyone is unique and requires different interventions and sessions times. Sessions range from 30 minutes to 60 minutes. This will be discussed at the initial assessment and dependent on the child’s attention and ability to engage in therapy.
How do you make therapy fun and engaging?
Therapy is very individualised to each participant, sessions can consist of being purely gross motor based consisting of obscale courses, blaze pods, peanut ball and more! Sensory based sessions – Focusing on vestibular and proprioceptive input to support emotional and sensory regulation. Using a sensory peapod/boat, sensory socks and strips deep pressure activities and making sure they are all play based and fun to support engagement. OT sessions are full of fun games that encourage independence and social development including, pop the pig, uno, spot it, and more.
What happens in the first session?
The first session we like to call the intake session, which we like to spend with the primary caregivers. We understand that talking about the client’s struggles and difficulties can be upsetting and triggering. We spend the first session getting a deeper understanding of the developmental history, struggles with tasks that peers their age might not have, goal setting and expectations of service (frequency of appointments, locations of appointments, duration of appointments and key stakeholders involved in the care of the client).
What ages do you work with?
We work with all ages, the youngest client we currently see is 15 months old.
What concerns can paediatric OT help with?
We help with a wide range of “concerns” such as emotional regulation, toileting, sensory regulation, school refusals or school can’t, social appropriateness, fine and gross motor development, AT prescription, handwriting, school readiness.
What does a paediatric occupational therapist do?
Paediatric occupational therapists help children develop essential skills for daily life. We will work on improving fine motor skills, such as hand-eye coordination for tasks like writing and using utensils. We will also enhance gross motor skills, which include movements like crawling, walking, and jumping through play-based activities. Sensory processing is another key area, where OTs assist children in managing sensory input, such as sounds and textures, to help them stay focused and calm.
In addition, paediatric OTs teach self-care skills, helping kids learn how to dress, feed themselves, and maintain hygiene. They support social and emotional skills, aiding children in social interactions and emotional regulation. Cognitive skills, including problem-solving, memory, and attention, are also areas of focus. Lastly, OTs encourage play to help children develop various skills and interact with peers.
Paediatric OTs work with children who have conditions like autism, cerebral palsy, developmental delays, and sensory processing disorders. They create personalized plans to meet each child’s unique needs and goals.
Meet our Paediatric OT
Jenelle Thomson
Kia Ora (hello)! I’m Jenelle, a community Occupational Therapist originally from New Zealand! My accent might be funny at times but it doesn’t stop me being extremely passionate about all things paediatrics! I have a strong interest empowering young children to achieve their fullest potential.
My approach is holistic, focusing on creating supportive environments where children can thrive and develop the skills they need for everyday activities. I also support the children’s parents, caregivers or formal supports to learn strategies to support their children’s development towards their goals.
Our Referral Process
Complete our Online Referral Form
Tell us more about you and how we can help you.
Get matched with the right therapist
You will be allocted to the best local therapist to suit your needs
Book your appointment
We will give you a call within 48 hours of receicing your referral to book in your initial assessment.
How we can Help?
Why choose MLEA?
Our 30 years of experience enables us to deliver assessments and reports of the highest calibre to exceed NDIS’ standards of “good evidence of disability.” In addition to NDIS, MLEA's OTs also operate within the medicolegal industry. We complete independent assessments for cases going to court or tribunal. This has honed our understanding of what evidence is required to achieve successful, reasonable and necessary outcomes.
Our OT Approach
Teamwork and clear lines of communication with our clients, their family and and broader healthcare team are fundamental to how we operate here at MLEA.
Whether you are having difficulties at home, at work or in the community, MLEA can provide sound and authoritative advice and recommendations. We assist adults with both physical & psychosocial disabilities.
If you have any further questions about services we offer, please don't hesitate to contact us.
Talk to our OT team
We are here to help, tell us about your requirements and one of our experts will contact you. We’re super responsive.
Get InTouch
We are here to help, tell us about your requirements & one of our experts will contact you. We’re Super Responsive.